


What Happens at Summer Camp (Hopefully Doesn’t Just Stay There)

by she_who_the_river_could_not_hold



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Pining, fake dating au, with unknown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-01 18:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15779910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold/pseuds/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold
Summary: Every summer, just before school starts, Hawkins Public Library hosts a camp for students. Hang out with your friends in the mountains, learn some cool things, enjoy the last days of summer.For Lucas Sinclair, he can’t tell if it’s going great or terrible this year. Because in order to get Troy to leave her alone, Max Mayfield has just announced that she and Lucas are dating. There’s a couple small things wrong with that. One: they aren’t actually dating. And two: Lucas has had a huge crush on her ever since they met. But it’ll all be fine, they’ll pull it off. What could go wrong?





	1. Chapter 1

There was essentially only reason to look forward to the end of summer break.

 

The Hawkins Public Library hosted a five-day weekend long camp each summer, scheduled just before the school year began to help pump kids up for classes again and to hopefully teach them something new.

 

As dutiful attenders every year since they could remember, the party had decided it was high time that they were finally camp counselors there. 

 

Lucas had to admit that he had been the one to push them the most into doing it. He probably had the most memories there, and it was scary to imagine that they were almost done being able to attend. But he also had a feeling that this was going to be one hell of a five-day weekend, maybe even better than previous years. 

 

And that was mainly because of one person.

 

Max Mayfield.

 

Not that he had been able to see her very much yet, just flashes of her hair amongst the kids as everyone unloaded their cars into the parking lot. But it wasn’t even the first full day and he convinced himself that he was sure there would be plenty of time to see her. Maybe even talk with her, _but he wasn’t going to push his luck_. She’d shown up at the beginning of his junior year and it had felt like an instant connection. Mainly on his end though. He supposed they more than just classmates, definitely at least friends. They just didn’t hang out outside of school. But they had plenty of classes together and she was his favorite person to debate with in class. But beyond that? They hadn’t really spent a lot time together. That hadn’t stopped him from developing a bit of a crush on her though.

 

_Only a bit of one._

 

At least that’s what he insisted to the guys on the ride up to the cabins, bumping along in Mike’s van and trying to not blush too much.

 

He didn’t know why he insisted on playing it so cool with them. It wasn’t like they hadn’t all at some point confided in each other about crushes. Will with the cute boy in his art class (who was adorably, and suspiciously, bad at drawing and always needed Will’s help). Mike with El (okay, that was more extreme pining only for them to finally get together). Dustin with a handful of different girls until he swore of girls entirely (they weren’t convinced yet). 

 

But something about Max felt different. He wasn’t even sure if he had any intention of saying anything, content to just hover in the warm fuzzy feeling that came with seeing her in class rather than bring on the fear of voicing his feelings.

 

Those were the thoughts clouding his mind as he transitioned from dumping his duffle bag under the bunk bed he and Mike were going to share. 

 

He was however able to push them aside just long enough to have a heated debate about the choices they’d made in their last campaign with Dustin while they made their way to the mess hall. It was late in the evening, the first night much more focused on the kids getting to know each other, as well as passing out the schedule of activities. They’d be there for the next five days and Lucas was thrilled to be able to work as a counselor this year.

 

He and the other guys had gone to the initial meeting at the library a couple weeks ago to over details. Some of it was generic rules and things they’d have to know. Luckily they didn’t have to worry about chaperoning the actual cabins the kids would sleep in. Instead they’d just have to chaperone the classes and help lead the activities. From there, they had signed up for the ones they wanted to help teach in and set up their room assignments.

 

It was also where they had learned that sadly, Troy would be there due to needing to complete some extra community service hours. 

 

And more positively, that Max was going to be a counselor as well.

 

They’d had their usual _“Hey Stalker”_ and _“Whatever Mad Max”_ interaction when they had greeted each other. Though she had sat near him since El was there too and the two of them had become unlikely best friends over the past school year. Which meant that he’d been able to somewhat steal glances at her when he didn’t think she was looking. 

 

It had one earned him one elbow to the gut from Mike as a signal to get back to paying attention.

 

Fast forward to today and he was getting another hit in the gut.

 

This time it was from Dustin, sightlessly thrusting Lucas’ duffle bag at him from the back of the mini van.

 

“Okay then all that’s left is the cooler with all of the snacks my mom made!” Dustin announced, hoisting his bag onto his shoulder so he could pull out the small blue cooler.

 

“Please tell me she made her peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies,” Will said almost in a whine, Lucas nodding enthusiastically next to him.

 

Dustin looked at them slyly.

 

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” he responded with his usual twinkle in his eye.

 

With their banter in full swing, the party then made their way towards the campground.

 

The area was a sprawling collection of cabins, a large one for dining and gathering, and then a dock that lead towards the lake nearby. It was overall much bigger than they needed for this particular camp — not many kids wanted to do an education-based camp right before school. But to Lucas, it was filled with memories. And when he and the guys were younger, it had felt even bigger. Making it into a whole world for them to explore. 

 

And they’d only gotten lost once too.

 

Check-in was quick this year since they were counselors. And they’d been coming here for so long, they didn’t have to have that moment of panic where they went to three wrong cabins before finding the right tone. They got to stay in one of the smaller ones too, so it was just a quick check-in with Marissa at a plastic folding table before heading over to drop their stuff off.

 

Mike was shuffling through the folder that he had been handed with the information for the week, rattling off the different assignments. They’d been able to have almost first dibs on the activities they’d get to help with. Dustin let out a cheer that he had nailed the biology one, getting to work with Mr. Clarke at the lake to study the water. Will of course had been immediately nabbed for the art classes by the young, new art teacher Ms. Richards. Lucas was surprised but excited that he was going to get to help with one of the astronomy nights. Helping show kids how to chart the constellations and if they were lucky, use them to get back to the campgrounds on the last night without a map.

 

Eventually they reached their cabin. It was covered in dark wood slates and a single light hung above the door, cobwebs laced on the edges and a moth flitting in and out.

 

Lucas pushed forward first, opening up the screen door that was in front of the entrance and then pushing open the door into the one-room cabin.

 

It had two sets of bunk beds, with familiar, lumpy green mattresses on them. Tucked on one of the folding chairs was the pile of blankets for them to throw on them as well. A long chain hung down from the ceiling light and Mike clicked it on, a warm light spilling into the room and casting long harsh shadows. With the smell of pine needles being tracked in and the wood around them, it smelled like nostalgia and the wilderness.

 

While unpacking, they excitedly recounted stories from previous years. The time Dustin had gotten gum in his curls. Mike accidentally panicking on a canoe ride and tipping him and Lucas over. Most of the memories were good, with only one or two of Troy and his buddies knocking them off the pier (but only in the years they had been forced to come by their parents). 

 

They finally wrapped up though, the place feeling a little more homey. And then they stood awkwardly in a circle, looking between each other.

 

“Soooo. What now?” Dustin asked, each of them looking at each other.

 

“I guess we could stay in here for a bit?” Will asked, unconvinced.

 

“I have another campaign idea?”

 

“Mike, we’re barely into this one. Let’s wait it out. I gotta stay focused on my bard right now. Can’t get distracted.” 

 

“What you need is new dice, you’ve had the worst rolls ever this campaign,” Mike retorted, sadly putting the binder back into his duffle bag. Luckily he’d be able to talk about story-telling tactics in the writing class he was leading tomorrow, so he wasn’t too bummed out.

 

“How about we just head out to the fire?” Lucas offered. 

 

It seemed like the best idea. Most of the kids who stayed in their cabins for the majority of the night before emerging, were the ones who were staying with a lot of other students. Or kids who didn’t hang out outside of school and used it to gossip and catch up. 

 

So with that, they each finished tucking their things away and prepped to head out for the evening.

 

With sweatshirts on, the party gave each other a quick once over to make sure they were ready. Satisfied they’d be warm, they clicked off the dusty light hanging in the middle of the room and returned to the outside.

 

The arrival of dusk had brought the buzz of the forest alive, but a stillness as well. The sky was a dusty purple and they could barely make out the first twinkle of stars. Up ahead, not far from their cabin, they could see the beginning of the bonfire. The main fanfare was going to be the s’mores, but there was a healthy amount of hot dogs available in case some kids hadn’t eaten dinner. But the smell of roasted marshmallows and the gooeyness of the melted chocolate was enough to satisfy any cravings. And was absolutely an appropriate meal when up in the mountains.

 

They were nearly halfway to the bonfire spot, when they became distracted by a noise.

 

The sound of Troy’s braying laughter in the parking lot was too obnoxious to ignore. The party mumbled to themselves about how ridiculous it was that _this_ was how he’d been assigned community service. Certainly it was more of a detriment to everyone, a thought voiced by Dustin but agreed upon by all four of them.

 

But it was when Lucas instinctually looked over at the loud sound, that he felt his mouth go dry.

 

Rather than laughing with his fellow dumbass friends, who thankfully seemed to not be here this weekend, he was laughing with a certain girl that hadn’t left Lucas’ mind. Since essentially he had met her.

 

Max must have been grabbing something from her car and been cornered by him. Which was about one of the worst scenarios Lucas could think of.

 

“Hey, uh, I need to go check something in your car Mike,” Lucas stammered out. 

 

Mike shot him a confused look, only for Will to interject with a smile. “You should just go save Max from that conversation. I’m sure whatever’s in the car can wait.”

 

His expression clearing, Mike let out a laugh.

 

“Dude you’re totally fine. Go get her, we’ll meet you for s’mores.” 

 

Lucas cleared his throat, trying to not feel too nervous as he then made his way into the parking lot towards the two of them. He could see Max’s arms crossed and her foot tapping against the ground impatiently. 

 

Lucas walked as casually as possible over, almost even strolling, just to try to hide the sense of urgency rushing through him. He recognized that cross look on Max’s face. Hell, she’d get it in class when the teacher was being an idiot. So talking to Troy? It was definitely there. If there was one thing that he really appreciated about her, it was that you always knew what she was thinking.

 

As he got closer, he was able to hear exactly why she looked so angry.

 

“Come on Maxine, you know I’ve been working out for football. I’ve seen you checking me out before,” Troy gloated, giving a his shoulders a slight flex.

 

Max’s eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head.

 

“Those were looks of disdain you halfwitted—”

 

“Hey!” Lucas took that moment to interrupt.

 

While Troy looked absolutely annoyed by Lucas’ arrival, Max’s face brightened up immediately. Giving Lucas that vote of confidence to take a couple steps closer so he was even with Max.

 

“What’s going on?” 

 

Troy grunted.

 

“Waiting on a reason from Mayfield here as to why she won’t go out with me.”

 

Lucas felt his stomach roll at the very idea of Troy even being remotely near her. Not even in a protective way. More out of respect for her general well-being.

 

“That’s not going to happen.” The words flowed out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying.

 

Both Troy and Max looked at him, startled by the calm way he had shut the idea down.

 

“Oh is that right Sinclair? And what makes you so sure about that?” Troy snarled, turning his body away from Max and approaching Lucas.

 

Lucas took a steadying breath as he leveled his gaze at Troy. 

 

He wasn’t going to be threatened by him, those days were long gone.

 

Looking frantically between the two, Max bit her lip before plastering a huge smile on her face. She then slipped her hand around Lucas’ bicep before pulling him in tightly towards her. He stumbled with the sideways movement and nearly collided into her.

 

Her grip was tight on his arm and just when he was going to ask her what was going on —

 

“Because Lucas and I are dating!”

 

Max’s words rang in Lucas’ ears. 

 

Troy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, his eyes darting between the two of them. Lucas quickly rearranged his expression into what he hoped was a happy one. One that wasn’t completely shocked looking.

 

“Yep! Dating. That’s us,” he managed to say.

 

“I didn’t realize…” Troy replied, his voice laced with confusion but just a hint of defeat.

 

“Well,” Max jumped in, “we weren’t trying to be in people’s faces about it. Give us a chance to have something all to ourselves. You know how high school is.”

 

Troy in fact, did not know how high school was.

 

However Max kept her voice neutral and slipped her hand into Lucas’. Immediately speeding through Lucas’ mind was all of the times he had imagined doing this. Waiting in line at the movies. On the bleachers at games. In the hall in between classes.

 

Not exactly in front of Troy though.

 

However, he seemed to have lost interest in the situation and with a grunt and nod of his head, stalked away from the two teens. 

 

Max dropped her hand from Lucas’ and gestured a middle finger towards his retreating back. 

 

“I can’t believe it takes saying I have a boyfriend to get him to leave me alone. It’s disgusting, a guy will respect a male partner more than he will just being rejected I mean—”

 

“Max.”

 

“—it’s so sexist. No one waits for a guy to get a girlfriend before—”

 

“MAX.”

 

She stopped her tangent mid sentence to look over at Lucas curiously.

 

“So we’re dating now?” Lucas asked as calmly as he could.

 

Max shrugged. 

 

“If you don’t mind. At least for the weekend so that Troy leaves me alone.”

 

_I’ve wanted to ask you out for a year._

 

“It’s cool, I don’t mind. He’s a mouth breather anyway.”

 

Max crossed her arms and leaned up against one of the cars. “We should probably figure out some rules or whatever? Now that he knows, we’ll have to play it up some.”

 

“I didn’t realize relationships had rules,” Lucas added on.

 

“Well real relationships maybe, but this isn’t one.”

 

“Riiiggghhhtt. Okay so where do we start?”

 

Max blew some hair out of her eyes and looked around, contemplating the situation. Lucas fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt. 

 

“That’s fair. They’ll mainly be guidelines then,” she finally said. “We just have to mainly hang out with each other. Hold hands. Nicknames are fine, nothing too cutesy. Cheek kisses are fine, I doubt we’ll have to make out in front of everyone.”

 

Lucas choked at that but didn’t interrupt.

 

“I figure as long as stay close and act like we can’t get enough of each other, it should work out great! It’ll be all about selling the little things. What could go wrong?” 

 

“What could go wrong?” Lucas echoed, still trying to process the whole situation.

 

Shoving her hands into her back pockets, Max scuffed at the ground before glancing back at Lucas. For appearing so confident a minute before, she seemed to be slightly nervous now. As if checking to make sure that he was on board with this. Lucas gave her the natural, reassuring smile he could.

 

It seemed to help and she relaxed a little bit more into her usual, casual slouch. 

 

“Cool cool, Sinclair. I’ll see you at the bonfire for s’mores tonight?”

 

He nodded and she flashed a thumbs up before beginning to walk away.

 

Letting out a long exhale, Lucas was just about to pace when he heard the crunch of gravel behind him. 

 

He turned just in time for Max to appear in front of him, her white camp shirt glowing just barely in the darkness around them. She leaned in and placed a quick kiss to his cheek.

 

“For practice,” she mumbled almost teasingly, before turning back and jogging towards the campground area.

 

Lucas slowly lifted a hand to his cheek, the spot where her lips had touched tingling. Max’s words ran through his mind.

 

_What could go wrong?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the act of pretending to date Max is both as difficult, and as amazing, as Lucas had imagined. And how he survives his first day of fake dating the girl he has the biggest crush on.

There was just enough time between dinner, _the moment_ , and the camp roasting marshmallows for Lucas to try and figure out what exactly he had just gotten himself into.

 

Luckily Mike and Dustin had captured the attention of Mr. Clarke, so as he made his way back from the parking lot, he snuck over to the campfire area. He wasn’t sure where Will was, not that it was unusual for the smallest boy of the group to sometimes disappear, and Lucas was conflicted. First it was good, he would have the hardest time keeping the charade going around Will. But it had been about thirty minutes since he and Max had started “dating” and he was already wishing he could talk to someone about it. 

 

There were only a couple other students over there already, all deep in conversations, so it gave him a chance to think things over. 

 

Sinking down onto one of the logs by the glowing fire, he rubbed his hands on his face frustration.

 

Why hadn’t he ever really told the guys how much he liked Max?

 

Why hadn’t he just confessed that whenever he saw her, he felt butterflies erupt in his stomach and a smile would form even against his will?

 

Surely all of this would be easier if he had been more open about his crush.

 

Those intrusive thoughts just made him groan and push at the rocks on the ground with his sneaker. Almost the worst part about all of this was going to be how little acting he was going to have to do. Sure he hadn’t dated someone before so that would be new, but acting like he liked Max and wanted to hold her hand in public — no, none of that was actually acting.

 

He would just have to work on that startled feeling he’s sure is also expressed on his face when she was in character as his girlfriend.

 

Even thinking the phrase made him giddy.

 

_His girlfriend_. 

 

A group of the younger students passed by, giggling to each other as they compared their schedule of classes for the next day. He noticed Erica and even in the early evening, he could see the arch of her eyebrow as she gave him a look.

 

That shut down the weird giddiness real quick.

 

Of course she’d be able to see right through it. He’d have to hope she stuck around with her friends the whole trip and left him alone like she normally did. Lucas figured he could trick his friends, he wasn’t convinced he’d be able to convince his own sister that he somehow had snagged a girlfriend over the summer.

 

He was startled out of his thoughts by a person dropping next to him.

 

“We should sit together,” Max hissed through an overly exaggerated smile, her arm slipping around his waist as she nestled in closer to him.

 

“Oh. Crap, I mean — yeah. That’s a good idea,” Lucas stumbled. “I’m not really an expert at this whole ‘faking dating’ thing.”

 

Max gave him a bemused expression.

 

“And you think I am?”

 

The answer never came as Dustin arrived, excitedly carrying a decent amount (read: large) of supplies for s’mores. He didn’t bat an eye at Max being tucked so closely to him, which Lucas was thankful for. He was so startled by the pleasant pressure of her arm that he wasn’t sure he could entirely explain himself if anyone breathed a word about it. 

 

“I’ve arrived with the goods! There should be enough for each of us to have three s’mores. I even included enough for the ladies,” Dustin added on, giving Max a thumbs up. 

 

The plural of ‘ladies’ was explained a second after when Mike, El, and Will walked up.

 

“Jesus Dustin, did you take everything?” Mike asked sarcastically.

 

Dustin tossed him the bag of graham crackers to open up. “I would have if Mrs. Richardson hadn’t caught me in time. I’m so not looking forward to having her for Calculus this year.”

 

The conversation turned to school then, a subject matter that felt safe enough for Lucas to join in on without worrying about the whole Max-and-I-are-fake-dating thing. Though as he relaxed with talking, so did he with their charade.

 

As he turned to comment to El about whether or not AP History was going to be the worst class ever (it would be), he was unaware of how naturally he put in his hand on Max’s knee. His fingers lazily rubbed circles on it and when he looked back at her, she had a curious expression on her face. But she didn’t say anything and instead placed her hand on top of his, weaving their fingers together as she rubbed his knuckles in return.

 

Later, while taking a break between his second and third s’more, Lucas glanced across the fire pit and noticed Troy giving him a scowl. He couldn’t help but laugh at that before turning back to his friends.

 

Max had occasionally hung out with them before at school. Usually if she and El had been chatting prior to lunch, she’d keep it up and sit with them. Or she would naturally find her way towards their group before assemblies so they could all sit together on the bleachers. But she hadn’t been there for the hours of Dungeons or Dragons, or the long bike rides to the quarry.

 

But it was as if didn’t matter.

 

She and Dustin fell into an easy banter. While her and Mike had even less in common, they certainly were on the same level of sarcasm and sass — leaving them to nearly make comments in unison, followed by sly grins. They might be a dangerous duo. 

 

Somewhere along near the end, everyone beginning their third s’more or attempting to hide their yawns, Lucas noticed the whispers between Will and El (along with the suspicious glances they kept giving him and Max). He would have felt nervous, but the fill of sugar and chocolate, mixed with the warm of the fire pit, left him in too relaxed of a state to worry. Plus they seemed genuinely happy, something he almost felt guilty about.

 

Max shifted in her position by his side, bringing herself up to a more seated position as she finished chewing the last bite.

 

As she looked out ahead, almost sleepily, Lucas slowly helped tuck loose hair behind her ear. It felt shockingly intimate but he couldn’t help himself. She hummed slightly, her eyes drifting shut as his hand traced down her ponytail before settling in his lap. There was a burning feeling in his gut. A mixture of happiness and longing. She turned and looked at him wordlessly, and it felt like everything fell away around them.

 

She did however, also have a bit of chocolate still on her face from the dessert and he chuckled to himself.

 

“Hang on,” Lucas mumbled, his gaze focused entirely on the remnants of the s’more and not on the intensity of Max’s eyes staring at him.

 

He tentatively reached forward, his thumb gently pressing against her face to wipe the chocolate away. Her skin was warm under his touch and he was momentarily startled by how soft it is. And he couldn’t shake the small electricity that ran through him as his touch skimmed the edge of her lip, lifting just barely off of it as he pulled his hand away.

 

He was suddenly very aware of how close they are.

 

The shadows from the fire danced on her face and there was only the sound of crackling and murmur of voices surrounding them. Though he’s pretty sure if he listened close enough he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his chest, and he’d swear she could hear it too. They’d turned in towards each other and with knees knocked against each other, Lucas had a feeling it would only take the smallest of movements to lean in and kiss her.

 

“You’re a natural at this,” Max whispered with a soft grin.

 

And that took Lucas completely out of it.

 

Right.

 

They were pretending.

 

“Thanks,” he muttered, pulling back and resetting himself to a more neutral position. His arm safely just around her waist, body facing outwards. Mind far away from the thought of chasing his hand with his lips and kissing her for real.

 

This was somehow both the best and worst thing he’s ever gotten himself into.

 

* * *

 

Lucas didn’t end up having to worry about eating breakfast together or giving away how much he had tossed and turned over this situation.

 

Max overslept.

 

El had routinely checked Mike’s watch, gently lifting his hand and rotating his arm so she could see the time. It was clearly a routine enough of an action that he simply continued talking while she did it. Then she’d glance at the door to the mess hall and then shrug when Lucas gave her a questioning look.

 

“She said she was going to get up in a minute and to go ahead, I figured she wouldn’t be far behind,” El explained with a tinge of nervousness.

 

With her nowhere in site as the group dropped their trays off in the back kitchen, Lucas snagged a granola bar and apple on his way out. Just in case he ran into her.

 

Stepping out into the warmth of the morning, there was a soft brightness to the air around them. Towering trees dwarfed the buildings and the smell of pine needles tickled his nose. Students were milling about, forming into groups to walk with to the different classes. And then a blur of person running over towards them.

 

“Shit, are they done serving food?” Max groaned, hastily tying her hair back into a loose ponytail. One of her hiking boots was still untied.

 

“You’re in luck, you’re dating an awesome guy who gets you food,” Lucas replied, handing her the food he had swiped.

 

She squealed in excitement, throwing her arms around him and giving him a huge hug. They spun slightly and Lucas found himself burying his face against her neck. 

 

Will pretended to gag, but smiled all the same.

 

“Yo Lucas, are you ready to go show some freshmen how to identify plants and not eat poison ivy?” Dustin called out, already beginning to make his way towards the trail where their first class was going to be. It was going to be helping out their ninth grade earth science teacher, Mrs. Cochrane and she didn’t like when people were late.

 

Max and Lucas pulled apart, her returning from being on her tiptoes and him doing what he could to control the smile on his face.

 

“See you at lunch?” He asked, instinctively dropping a kiss to her forehead. He tried not to think too much about how she leaned into it.

 

“See you at lunch,” she echoed with a smile, and waved as he jogged to catch up with Dustin.

 

Okay the morning was checked off — now to survive the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

“Are you saying you think you can beat me at Dig Dug?” Max’s teeth flashed as she shot Lucas a teasing, cocky smirk.

 

“Oh, I know I can,” responded Lucas, sliding next to her on the picnic bench, bumping her shoulder with his own. 

 

“It’s a challenge then,” she said, leaning into him. The way her eyes narrowed yet fluttered, and her mouth quirked into a smile, made Lucas’ heart nearly burst out of his chest.

 

Max Mayfield was absolutely way too good at flirting, even if not with what she said but with her looks. Lucas was entirely positive that she was gazing into his very being and he could feel his cheeks heat up when she looked at him like that.

 

They were eating lunch down with a handful of the other counselors down by the lake. It hadn’t taken much to dodge the chaperones in the kitchen, their food stuffed up their t-shirts as they made their way giggling out of the mess hall. They’d then run towards the lake, their hands full with their bounty and the sun beaming down on them. Slipping and sliding on the pine needles and rocks until they reached their destination. After a cooler morning, the day had slipped into higher temperatures that had the older girls dragging out towels from their cabins to lay on, while some boys had swam out to the floating dock where they jumped (and sometimes pushed each other) off of it.

 

Max stretched one of her legs out across Lucas and her aviator sunglasses had become tangled in her messy hair. Even with the sweat dotting her forehead, Lucas had decided this was one of his favorite looks on her and that she was made for summer.

 

_He was pretty sure he had also caught her staring at him when he had been wiping the sweat off his forehead with the bottom of his shirt, but he couldn’t prove it so it was better to pretend it hadn’t happened._

 

“I’ll concede that you can beat me at Dig Dug if you admit that I’m better than you at history.”

 

“You know that’s a lie, you only got a higher grade because Ms. Griffin likes your essays better. It’s total bias.” 

 

“Oh really? Let’s go ask her then, she has that class this afternoon about the history of the land around here. If I’m right, you have to kiss me. If you’re right, I have to kiss you.”

 

Lucas nearly missed the bite of his sandwich that he was taking.

 

“Save it, please, for anywhere else,” Mike groaned as he put down his water bottle.

 

“You have no room to talk String Bean,” Max said, pointing her fork at him defiantly. “You and El are constantly making heart eyes at each other. If Lucas and I want to adorable, we have every right to be.”

 

To accent her point, she swung her other leg across his lap and scooted in. Just far enough so she could smack a loud kiss on his cheek.

 

Mike rolled his eyes and flipped her off, to which she of course mimicked.

 

“If you two stopped arguing for even five minutes, you’d probably be best friends,” Will remarked from his end of the table. He had already eaten earlier and was currently working on his water color of the landscape around them. 

 

“Where’s the fun in that?” Max joked, leaning across the table to give Mike a high five. He willingly returned it and it was Lucas’ turn to roll his eyes.

 

Slipping his arm around Max’s waist, he began to tickle her. “The last thing I need is you two becoming best friends and ganging up on me.”

 

She shrieked and dropped her fork onto her plate, grasping her arms around Lucas’ shoulders as she both squirmed away from his fingers while also holding onto him tightly so she didn’t fall. He figured he had the upper hand until she snuck a hand under his shirt and poked him in the side. That was when he nearly dropped her off the bench.

 

“Hey kids, let’s not get anyone hurt okay?” Mr. Clarke called out as he carried the biology equipment down to the water.

 

Lucas and Max scrambled to adjust themselves, laughing hysterically at each other as they did so. While they did, a figure walked past them, calling more attention to them.

 

“Can I just say? I totally didn’t see this happening,” Jennifer said excitedly. “But watching you two together is seriously goals.”

 

The gushing made a blush erupt on Lucas’ cheeks, but he and Max turned to each other with a smile. It was just a passing comment, Jennifer had already walked past them to meet up with her friends down by the water, her ponytail swishing as she walked. But even such a simple comment was enough for Lucas. Max teasingly stuck her tongue out at him, waiting until he followed suit and copied her.

 

Pretending to date Max was just as easy as he had imagined it would be.

 

* * *

 

Lucas found himself back by the lake after the astronomy class late that evening, having walked past the end of the biology one and been roped into helping clean up by Dustin. 

 

Then El had walked by, on her way back from whichever class she had been chaperoning (he was pretty sure it was one of the elementary school kids ones). And somehow Dustin had convinced her to help too. Though that wasn’t as hard, she genuinely seemed to enjoy helping, whereas Lucas found himself grumbling the whole way.

 

He and El were currently in the process of helping drag a canoe up towards where they were stored. It was heavier than he would have liked and he briefly thought about his dad’s suggestion to start working out beyond pushing lawn mowers. That had helped his arms a bit, but apparently not enough for this and for once he felt like considering it. But also he just swore to himself he just wouldn’t help Dustin again without asking what it was for first.

 

“How about we talk about something to distract ourselves for the last half?” huffed El as she awkwardly maneuvered herself backwards towards the shed and the pile of other canoes.

 

“About what?” Lucas bit his as he grimaced, hoisting his shoulders up to get a better lift on this inconvenient blue thing.

 

“We haven’t gotten a chance to talk about you and Max yet.” El flashed him a grin.

 

That brought an unbridled grin to Lucas’ face and El crowed in excitement.

 

“Lucas, you know I live for this stuff,” she said, her voice returning to a mock-serious tone. “Romance is my thing. You can’t just start secretly dating one of my best friends and not tell me all about it.”

 

“Isn’t that supposed to be her thing?” Lucas pointed out. 

 

He was a bit nervous of how much he’d have to fake without running it by Max first. Luckily they had reached the shed faster than expected so hopefully the questioning wouldn’t go on for too long. Not a guarantee though — El loved being in the know.

 

“Sure, but that’ll be a separate chat. I want to hear your version.”

 

_Oh boy_.

 

“Well… what do you want to know?”

 

“Which one of you made the first move?” El asked with a grin.

 

Lucas laughed a bit to himself. That was technically a pretty easy question. They may be faking the relationship part, but there was at least a concrete beginning to it all.

 

“I suppose she did, really.” 

 

“Thank god, I’ve been telling her to do it for ages but she’s being such a moron about it,” El said, her voice muffled as she dropped off the life jackets in the storage shed by the lake.

 

Lucas’ breath stopped as he tried to process what El was saying.

 

“I mean, I know it’s scary asking people out but it was crazy how long it took her to build herself up to do it,” she added.

 

“Yeah?” Lucas felt himself say automatically.

 

His ears felt like they were ringing. The way El was talking about it… no. There was no way.

 

“She’s confident. I couldn’t believe I asked out Mike before she asked you. Pretty wild. Wait, Lucas, are you alright?” El’s brow furrowed as she walked out and noticed the expression on his face.

 

He wasn’t sure if he looked like he was going to throw up, dance, or faint.

 

Maybe all three. 

 

“El, do you know where Max is right now?” His voice was just as panicked as he felt.

 

“I’m not sure. I think she had gotten suckered into helping chaperone the sixth grade geology class with Jennifer. I haven’t seen her yet.”

 

Lucas nodded numbly.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” El asked again, but Lucas just shook his head.

 

“I’ll let you know later.”

 

And he ran off.

 

It took a couple times circling the sleepy camp to realize he wasn’t sure exactly where he was supposed to be looking. Damn it.

 

Where the hell could she be?

 

Lucas wished that for once they had cell service up here. He normally loved the escape, already an old man at heart and wanting nothing more than a break from the obnoxious dinging that came from his phone. 

 

But right now, being able to just text Max would have solved a lot of problems. 

 

He knew the geology class usually went to an area up a little bit north of the main cabin they met in for the full group sessions. So maybe he’d see if she was just late coming down from there, or maybe had swung by to try and nab a late night snack.

 

His plan didn’t work out though. The path was completely dark and so was the kitchen, not a figure in sight. 

 

Sighing, Lucas began to cross through the edge of the parking lot to make his way towards his cabin. He’d just have to find her first thing in the morning and talk with her. They were always honest with each other, he couldn’t let this time be any different. 

 

Not that he entirely thought she had been lying to him.

 

He supposed he had never actually asked her if she really liked him back. 

 

But she hadn’t disclosed it, and knowing how he felt about her, it felt like an important thing to try to cover.

 

So with hands shoved into his pockets, Lucas made up his mind that he’d just have to go to her cabin in the morning and try to meet her before breakfast. Get it all cleared up before this became too big of a mess.

 

His plans became a bit derailed though, nearly across the parking lot and through the trees to the cabin trails, when he heard his name.

 

“Yo Sinclair!” 

 

Lucas groaned at the sound of the voice coming from behind him.

 

“What do you want Troy?” He asked exasperatedly, turning to see the familiar school bully lumbering towards him.

 

“I wanna talk about Max for a second,” he said casually enough, dropping the cigarette that had been in his hands in snubbing it out the ground.

 

Lucas immediately became defensive.

 

“I can’t think of something I want to do less. Why?”

 

“I know the truth,” he shrugged.

 

Narrowing his eyes, Lucas crossed his arms across his chest uncomfortably. Way too much had already been happening today for him to know where this conversation was going. The odds of Troy picking up on their secret seemed slim, but still. You never quite knew with him.

 

“Elaborate on this theory of yours.” Lucas’ voice was curt as he prepared himself.

 

“Because there’s just no way you guys are actually dating. We all try to get the dream girl. It just didn’t work out for you, but it’s easy to pretend.”

 

“Troy, what the hell are you talking about?” Lucas asked with a roll of his eyes.

 

“I know you and your little nerd friends think I’m an idiot, Sinclair. But I’m not blind. No way that Max Mayfield, of all of the girls in Hawkins, would go out with you,” Troy swore, stepping closer to Lucas but just far enough to keep Lucas’ blood pressure somewhat level.

 

“I mean she probably paid you or something, or it’s some sort of dare. What the hell could she see in you? Especially when I’m around,” he continued.

 

“Because you’re an asshole, dip shit. And Max would never be interested in someone like you. You’d just drag her down.” Lucas scoffed.

 

Troy’s lip curled into a sneer.

 

“And what exactly do you provide in the relationship?”

 

“I support her in anything she wants to do. We challenge each other, push each other to be better. She’s not just some skater girl from California. She’s one of the top students at Hawkins and deserves someone who can help her be exactly who she wants to be. You’re also a damn misogynist, which I doubt you even know that that means.”

 

Lucas found himself on a roll, as more sentences began to spill out of his mouth. Now it was his turn to step closer to Troy, his shoulders rolled back in confidence.

 

“I don’t see her as a piece of meat or some other garbage way that you probably see all women in. We treat each other as equals, in all sense of the word. I believe in her. And she can always count on me to be there for her, because that’s what you do for someone you love.”

 

Oh.

 

That last word hadn’t meant to slip out.

 

Troy hadn’t seemed to realize what he had said though, or at least hadn’t comprehended it (nothing unusual there). 

 

Instead his eyes had drifted over Lucas’ shoulder and into the night air around them.

 

When he didn’t react, Lucas took the chance to turn as well, praying that it wasn’t some sort of trick and Troy wasn’t about to just punch him as soon as he turned.

 

It wasn’t a trick.

 

There in the dim evening light, standing just off to the side, was Max. 

 

Her expression, even obscured by shadows, had crumbled. Like she had been hit by a sucker punch. Which Lucas supposed she had. He couldn’t even figure out what she was doing over there, but it didn’t matter right now.

 

The second they locked eyes, she immediately turned on her heel and fled.

 

“No no no no no,” Lucas muttered before shouting, “MAX!”

 

Giving Troy a quick gesture of his middle finger, Lucas began to chase after Max. 

 

The lights were limited and he found himself nearly tripping over unknown objects as he attempted to catch up to her. Her sweatshirt, a pale blue, was a beacon for him as he pushed forward. It was his north star as it helped encourage him to pump his legs and lungs harder. He completely missed the odd stares from the occasional high schooler still up. He only had eyes for Max.

 

But she had too good of a head start on him and he found himself tiring out.

 

“Max! Wait!” He tried one more time.

 

She had a good lead on him though. He was surprised to find out that even without her skateboard, she was able to put some good mileage between them and he stopped to catch his breath. Hands on his hips, he watched as she disappeared into the dark towards her cabin. Maybe he was dreaming the last look she gave over her shoulder. 

 

Maybe he wasn’t.

 

Sucking in some more air, Lucas let his eyes close in defeat. Night had fully fallen upon the camp and with it, the warm feeling that he had been carrying with him since all of this had started. Instead he was left with a coldness, sinking into him and wrenching at his heart. Could you be heartbroken over a fake girlfriend? Was it that he had said _that_ word and it hadn’t even been while in a real relationship? Let alone even to her own face?

 

A voice called over, no doubt belonging to one of the teachers, reminding him that he needed to return to his cabin for the night.

 

With a halfhearted wave of acknowledgement, Lucas began to trudge back to his dorm. He’d have to figure out either how to tell the guys about what happened, or just force a smile and pretend it was all fine. But he was tired of lying at this point. It wasn’t a part of his nature. 

 

His mind kept going back to Max’s face when she had heard him.

 

Okay then.

 

So maybe _this_ was the worst that could happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah one more chapter to go!! Thank you for all of the support on this one so far, especially over on Tumblr! I'm so happy fake dating AUs are making their way into the ST fandom. It's been a long time coming!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes when your fake girlfriend, who you have a real crush on, finds out that you actually like her, it’s important to make sure that you talk to her about it. So Lucas goes off to find Max to get some things off his chest.

“Dude, what the hell is going on down there?” Dustin’s mop of curls appeared from over the top of the bunk bed.

 

Lucas hadn’t realized his frantic thoughts had been coming out as mumbling to himself.

 

“Oh, nothing.”

 

“That wasn’t convincing at all,” came a retort from across the cabin and Lucas could see the illuminated face of Mike appearing in the dark. “You’ve been talking to yourself for like twenty minutes.”

 

Feeling himself blush, Lucas shifted underneath his blanket uncomfortably. He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to confess to his friends about all that had transpired. He didn’t think more people needed to know that the relationship was fake - especially when he had no idea what Max was going to be telling people after tonight. He figured it would be better to follow her lead on this, whatever that ended up being.

 

“I swear it’s nothing,” he tried again, only to be cut off by Will.

 

“Lucas. Stop, it’s okay. You can tell us if something’s wrong. Is it Max?” He asked that a beat later, his voice quiet.

 

“We had a… disagreement, I guess you could say,” Lucas finally admitted.

 

“About what?” 

 

Lucas ignored Dustin’s question and tried to give as vague of a follow up as possible. “And I just haven’t figured out what to do about it.”

 

Mike had propped himself up to an elbow to better see the situation, and even from his bottom bunk Lucas could see the confusion written across his best friend’s face.

 

“What do you mean do about it?”

 

“Not all of us have some fairytale relationship Mike,” Lucas grumbled.

 

“Are you saying El and I don’t talk about anything?”

 

“Hey, guys,” Dustin intervened. “Let’s not be comparing relationships right now.”

 

Lucas sighed and glanced back over to Mike.

 

“I’m not saying you guys don’t have a meaningful relationship. It’s just that it seems so natural to you, and some of us have problems that come up with the people we like.”

 

Mike let out a laugh at that, easing the tension that had snuck into Lucas’ shoulders at the potential confrontation that could have come. Mike was easily one of his best friends, but was also one of the people that he argued with the most. They were both too stubborn, but at least they could admit it now that they were in high school.

 

“I appreciate it, but we definitely don’t have some perfect relationship. You should see El when she’s jealous. We had a long night of talking through it one time. It wasn’t fun, but we’re a lot stronger for it,” he explained.

 

It gave Lucas a pause.

 

He hadn’t heard that before, though he supposed there wasn’t a reason for it to ever have come up. But it helped shed a slightly different light on everything. 

 

Maybe it was just as simple as really just sitting down and talking with Max.

 

“So you think I should try to chat with her about it?”

 

“Lucas, dude. You’re always the one encouraging us to be honest with each other,” piped up Dustin. 

 

“Yeah, if there’s anyone who can fix this it’s you,” Mike added on sincerely. “I mean, think of all of the shit we got into when we were younger. But we always worked it out. I know Max and I are both stubborn… but trust me. You’ve got this.”

 

Lucas took a steadying breath and glanced at his friends around him, all looking at him encouragingly.

 

“You think so?”

 

“We know so,” Will replied warmly. “You’re two really awesome people, you deserve to give each other a chance to work through things.”

 

That settled it then.

 

With the encouragement of his friends to just do it now, Lucas scrambled out of his bed to throw on some clothes. The floor was cold and he hopped around as he shoved on a pair of sweats over his gym shorts and dug around his bag for socks and his hiking boots. It would be better to do this now, while things were still fresh.

 

* * *

 

The walk to Max’s cabin was quiet and Lucas found himself holding his breath for the majority of it. It wasn’t like the camp counselors patrolled the area, but the last thing he wanted to do was give a bunch of ten-year-olds a heart attack by sneaking past their place and making them think a bear was outside.

 

Even with his sneaking though, it didn’t take too long to get to her cabin. It was one of three in a cluster, the furthest one back.

 

_Shit. Who all was in their cabin again?_

 

Lucas couldn’t remember all of the room assignments, but it was too late to be concerned about that now. So instead of being consumed by panic, he pulled open the screen door and gently knocked on the wooden door behind it. Then, shutting it, he stepped back onto the first rung of stairs and waited.

 

In took a minute or two, but then with a squeak and a groan, the door opened.

 

The single light from inside the cabin gave way to a silhouette behind the screen door that still closed the cabin off from him. Short, curly hair pulled into two low pigtails. And then as the person poked their head past the door, the lantern hanging outside illuminated her face.

 

“Oh, hey Lucas,” El said nonchalantly, casually tightening the gap between her and the room behind her. 

 

“Is Max awake?”

 

El bit her lip, clearly contemplating the situation at hand, and answered with silence. Which gave Lucas all of the information he needed that Max had _definitely_ told her best friend what had transpired just bit ago. He was pretty sure he was thankful she had. It at least let him skip over the explaining part about the whole not-actually-dating-but-now-Max-knows-I-like-her thing.

 

“I really,” Lucas felt his voice nearly crack as he tried to keep it from getting too loud or desperate sounding, “really need to talk to her.” 

 

“She’s pretty confused right now.”

 

“I know. It’s my fault for not being honest with her.”

 

“Friends don’t lie,” El whispered after a beat, a small grin showing up on her face. 

 

Lucas felt his shoulders drop in relief and he smiled back. Years ago in middle school those had been one of the first lessons he and El had shared, a skeptic and a homeschooled girl. She nodded slightly and with a whispered order for him to stay there, she disappeared back into the room. She was definitely wearing on of Mike’s old Star Wars shirts, something that made Lucas roll his eyes but also have a whisper of jealousy. Would Max be the type of girlfriend to steal any of his clothes if they were actually dating? 

 

His curiosity was interrupted by the cabin door creaking open once more and revealing the face of the very girl on his mind.

 

Max’s eyes seemed a bit puffy, but she otherwise seemed very much herself to his relief. Her long hair at some point must have been thrown in a messy bun, but strands were falling out as they lost the fight against gravity. She was drowning in massive UCLA sweatshirt, while her gym shorts just barely poked out from underneath. 

 

Best of all, she didn’t look mad.

 

“Hey Stalker,” she monotoned, calling back to her old nickname for him when the first met.

 

Aright, he couldn’t quite fight that one. He was standing outside her cabin late at night.

 

“I was hoping we could talk.” Hopefulness crept into his voice, mixed in with the apologetic grimace that he gave her.

 

Thankfully, she nodded and disappeared back into the dark. Lucas held his breath the entire time she was gone, holding the door just a crack with his foot. When she reappeared a moment later, she had switched to leggings and her scuffed up tennis shoes. 

 

Stepping out, the two stood awkwardly for a moment looking at each other.

 

“So where to?” Max asked casually.

 

Lucas shrugged and pointed towards the lake. “Where we had lunch?”

 

She agreed and the two began to silently make their way over. It felt like ages ago that they had been teasing each other at the picnic table there. Lucas longed to hug her again, feeling the warmth of her skin underneath his hands as they listened to their friends tell jokes and stories. She wasn’t walking too far away from him though, something that he took as a good sign. Maybe she wasn’t actually angry with him, maybe he had just confused her.

 

Which was entirely fair.

 

Finally they made it to the picnic table, sliding onto the seat. Their backs against the edge of the table, their feet wedged into the sand, the two gazed out on the lake. The reflection of the moon shone on the water and in any other circumstance, Lucas figured this would be incredibly romantic.

 

He went to say something, but Max beat him to the punch.

 

“I mean, were you ever going to tell me that you liked me?”

 

Max sounded almost hurt by the idea, and it hit Lucas’ heart with a sharp pang. It hadn’t even occurred to him that not making a move would effect her at all. 

 

“Well I wasn’t going to just assume you liked me back! Like _hey Max, you know this perfectly good friendship we have? I’d like to ruin it by having a big fat crush on you_.”

 

Max let out a huff of breath, her eyes narrowing at the sentiment.

 

“Why the hell wouldn’t I like you?”

 

Lucas made a dramatic shrug with his shoulders, turning his gaze away from her.

 

“Because I’m just a kid in your class that pushes your buttons. And I’m a giant nerd while you’re this cool girl from California. I mean, for god’s sake Max, I play Dungeons and Dragons. You skateboard to school and can name every band from the eighties your dad saw in person. Why would you like me back?”

 

He hadn’t meant for his insecurities to pop up in his confession, but there was no going back now from this.

 

“What is this, some type of rom com where we’re in enemy cliques?? Of course I like you!” she practically sputtered out. “Moron! Why else would I have thought of having you pretend to be my boyfriend? I don’t like nearly enough guys even as friends to want to do that with anyone else.”

 

Her proclamation, while hardly romantic or soft, was everything Lucas had ever hoped to hear. It paused the anxiety that was coursing through him and forced him to stop and really look at Max for the first time since they had started talking. She was now seemingly caught up in her emotions, jumping up from her seated position and taking to pacing slightly as she ranted.

 

“I just — I didn’t know how to say it! Like you’re nice to everyone, I wasn’t about to start assuming things either,” babbled Max, anxiously waving her hands around. “You’re a nerd sure, but I wasn’t totally sold that challenging each other in class was flirting to you.”

 

Lucas nearly laughed out loud at that one.

 

But to be fair, she wasn’t completely wrong. He did really get a funny feeling in his stomach when he’d catch her looking at him in class and she’d wink just before making a point to the teacher _specifically_ to challenge what he had just said. Or when they’d subtly race each other to finish pop quizzes, their hands brushing as they’d turn them in at the same time.

 

Okay, they were definitely both nerds.

 

Max, however, was still talking.

 

“And you and the guys are so close. How was I supposed to imagine breaking into that? And Mike’s a stubborn ass, I didn’t want to grilled by him if I made my intentions known,” she tacked on with an eye roll. 

 

It wasn’t the most false claim she had ever made, and Lucas chuckled at the image. But when it looked like Max going to _keep_ talking about, he quickly made up his mind. 

 

Instincts, some he didn’t even know he had, kicked in and Lucas found himself standing up and leaning forward and kissing Max.

 

Everything seemed to freeze around them, Lucas included. He stayed kissing her, his lips softly pressed against hers. His eyes had squeezed shut, both as a part of the natural way of kissing as well as the fear of seeing her reaction. 

 

A moment passed before Lucas pulled back hesitantly.

 

_Damn it, he hadn’t meant to just kiss her like that, so quickly and unprepared._

 

Max’s eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him. It was with the slightest bit of confusion, combined with breathlessness. It seemed overall positive, but he still wasn’t sure he should have just kissed her out of nowhere. His palms were clammy and he was pretty sure he had a panicked expression on his face. He could feel his heartbeat racing as he took in what he had just done. He had probably ruined it, taking it faster than she was ready for. Which if his mom had been there, would have instantly garnered a lecture and a reminder about making sure everyone was on the same page.

 

But as he began to step back from her, Max’s hand that had been resting on his sweatshirt tightened and pulled him closer so that he could kiss her again.

 

Their noses bumped slightly as they figured out each other’s faces. A small clack of the teeth. But then it all fell together. His lips were chapped and there was still the aftertaste of mouth wash on the edges of her mouth. The hand that wasn’t gripping his sweatshirt tightly between them had snuck up to his face, where she gently cupped his cheek and her thumb brushed softly against it. 

 

They finally pulled apart, this time stepping just enough that they could finish this conversation without constantly chasing each other’s mouth.

 

“Wow,” Lucas said, letting out a long exhale with a smile.

 

Max nodded, clearly pleased with herself.

 

“Okay, how about you be my actual boyfriend?” 

 

Max’s grin was mischievous but endearing, a softness to it that seemed to have worked its way into her expression. Her hands had relaxed around his shoulders, a casualness to her half hug that made it feel as natural as if they’d been dating for months now. 

 

“For real?” Lucas’ tone took on a light, teasing tone as he tucked a stray hair behind Max’s ear.

 

“A for real boyfriend,” she echoed.

 

He leaned down to kiss her again, his grip tightening around her waist. Their breath mingled for a minute and her head tilted back expectantly.

 

“I’d love to be your boyfriend,” he promised, before closing the space between their lips.

 

* * *

 

As usual, the dining hall area was buzzing with students in the morning. It was before people would get bug bites while out canoeing. It was prior to a handful of third graders getting too invested in their catapults, only to start an unintentional rock war with the fourth graders.

 

Yep, it was still a happy morning.

 

Especially for Lucas and Max. 

 

He was swung by her cabin this morning, having made a flimsy excuse to the guys before darting off. It hadn’t been met with any complaints, just a clap on the back from Mike, so before long he was standing nervously outside of Max’s cabin. There’d only been one confused look from Stephanie as she spotted him midway through pulling her whistle over her head (she was notorious for being super strict about the rules). Otherwise nothing until the arrival of Max and El outside the door. The first door swung open, followed by the screen door, and then the two laughing faces of the girls.

 

Max had immediately blushed upon seeing Lucas, but hadn’t been able to disguise her wide grin. El had giggled and tucked her face into the side of Max’s, whispering something Lucas could only assume was about him. But after she quickly said hello before darting up the trail, citing going off to find Mike as her reason for running off. Whether or not she was off to find her lanky boyfriend or not, Lucas appreciated the gesture. 

 

The walk to get breakfast had taken a little longer than usual.

 

Neither of them minded though.

 

They’d filled their trays with lumpy scrambled eggs, just barely toasted bread (extra strawberry jam for Max, loads of peanut butter for Lucas). Their hands continually brushed against each other and Lucas had found himself gazing fondly at her while she filled up a clear plastic cup with grape juice. Things were still very much the same between them, but there was something so new about their interactions all the same. A blush that graced Max’s cheeks when she turned and saw him staring. The slight pressure of her hand against the small of his back as she reached around him to grab them some napkins. 

 

The other guys hardly looked up as Lucas and Max sat down at the table, placing their plates down in near perfect coordination.

 

Except for Will, who gave them a small smirk as they adjusted themselves on the bench. Lucas’ hand knocked into Max’s as he smoothed out his shorts and as he went to apologize, the words became jumbled in his mouth as he gazed into her eyes. Dustin let out a mutter about how _he preferred it when they hid the PDA_. 

 

Lucas rolled his eyes and Max let out a stifled giggle.

 

“I’m glad you guys are finally dating,” Will said pointedly.

 

The emphasis he put on ‘finally’ didn’t escape Lucas’ notice. Or the way his grin deepened, as if he had figured out their charade from the past couple days (and now current shift). El choked slightly on her large gulp of chocolate milk, her eyes twinkling slightly as she glanced at them but said nothing of her knowledge.Lucas simply smiled back, grasping Max’s hand that was currently resting on his leg. 

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied smugly, before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on Max’s cheek, only for her to turn and catch his mouth with hers to return it.

 

Best start to camp _ever_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh thank you so much for checking this out! I've taken some time off from writing and it was nice to get back into the swing of things with wrapping up this sweet little fic. I adore these two way too much. I've also made some progress on my Western AU chapter, so I'm hoping that will be next. Though with October now almost officially upon us, I'll also be trying to write a couple more spooky one shots for my other series! Hope you enjoyed this one!


End file.
